Our Barge Adventure in France

This is a re-post of our fabulous trip to France. It is strange because we went to France after my ordeal with ovarian cancersome years ago.Now 13 years later, I am battling this very same cancer. I am joining Anita for your "Simply Irresistible Link Party."

We went to France for a 2 week vacation in 2000. I thought I would share some of our photos. We went on a week long barge trip cruising down the canal in Burgundy. We then spent 6 days in Paris.

There were 7 of us that booked this private barge.

The owners were husband and wife...the wife was the Captain and chef. and her husband was a doctor. His sister was the tour guide and a young lady who did odd jobs. As couples, we each got our own bedroom and private bath.

There was a dining room and living room where we could sit and relax. The best part was on top....Lots of sunshine and great views.

We would have breakfast and lunch everyday on top.

Here's a picture of the barge. It's called "Quietude"

The "Quietude"

This was the first morning..we woke up with fog.

My husband took this beautiful photo.

This is view from the barge looking forward to a lock house.

Going through the lock. Each lock, they had to stop and turn the wheel to let the water go down.

This barge also had bicycles on board so we could ride or walk along the canals.

This woman is the lock keeper. She is turning the wheel. Most of these people live in the Lock house by the canal. They also grow wonderful vegetables. Our Chef would stop and pick up fresh veggies daily.

The canal systems in France have a multitude of locks to deal with altitude changes as you move more inland in France. Passing through a lock can be quite a pleasant experience as it enables you to get off the canal boat and meet the lock keeper. Although it’s not necessary, helping out with opening the lock gate will be appreciated. Passing through a lock is free although some people with canal boats in France do leave a tip. Many lock keepers have small stalls set up where you can buy local produce such as cheese and fruits.

This is a picture of the back of the lock.

This picture shows how tight some spots are in the canal.

Napoleon's Tomb

Notre Dame

My husband with Rodan's "The Thinker".

The Abbey Fontenay

The monks' dormitory in Fontenay Abbey, northern Burgundy. They slept fully dressed, both for warmth (the room was not heated) and to be ready for midnight services. It has a beautiful roof of hand-hewn beams of Spanish chestnut, dating from the late 15th century.

Inside of the Abbey

The Abbey Forge

Waterfall at the Abbey.

An old church

The Nav Church, they church was dedicated in 1147.

Cloisters- Fontenay Abbey

This is the oldest clock.....gorgeous....

Expresso anyone? The french love their coffee.. cafe.

I love how there are so many outside cafes....

Café au lait is one of my favorites.....

The famous Effel Tower

Here's our group........You can see I had short hair. I had chemo and lost all of my hair and I was lucky enough to have my hair grow back in time for our trip. I had ovarian cancer and I am very lucky to be alive.

Another lock house had some wine. I love this barrel...Bonjour....

On our last night, we had this french lady come aboard to entertain us. She played the crank box and sang.

Our dining table. Our meals were outstanding....many courses...and of course those wonderful cheeses and fresh baked bread. Our chef would always present her dessert too.We were given a bell to ring for more wine and bread. Needless to say, we rang that bell many times. We got to the point, they started bringing out the jug wine...LOL

This is Medieval City. Quite a beautiful site.

We visited the Bathing pools.....

A quaint old village. Many shops....

A great wine cave we visited and of courses tasted as well.

I'm at the Champagne cave. Yummy and cold champagne..

My husband is in his element. Wine galore.....LOL

I'm relaxing an having a cocktail. What do you think of my hair?

Do I look French? Believe me, at this point, I was extremely happy to have some hair. I must say, it was so easy to care for.

Anita, our captain and chef and her husband.

This was our last night photo. We all dressed up for the occasion.

We had a marvelous time. In between, our guide had a van and we went on side trips. We visited wineries, castles and old towns.

Well, I hope you have enjoyed seeing this trip through the region of Burgundy in France.

I think I need to make another post of Paris....It would make this one way too long... Update: I am cancer free again....Sharing with:Take me Away @ Calypso In The Country

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comments:

How much fun! My husband has always wanted to take a trip just like this. Your pictures are neat. I am happy you had such a nice trip. I like your short hair. I think you rock that look! I hope you are feeling better!

Wow what a dream vacation. I have been to Europe several times but haven't visited France (yet). What a great way to see that region. We are thinking of going to England and Ireland this year. Thanks for sharing

Ahh, my what a nice adventure! You look great with short hair too! Your hair style was very cute! You and hubby are great together- I'm glad for you he came into your life! Obviously it was meant to be! Those pictures are wonderful and evoke some great feelings for you! Thaks for sharing!! Hugs! Liz

Wow, I can only dream of a vacation like this, how beautiful. Now your hair- I love, love, love it!! I am not just saying that, I have always said if I could wear my hair this short, I definately would. Your face is so beautiful, you don't need the hair to hide parts of it like some of us do. You look absolutely stunning, and very young I might add :)

Wow, Linda! I'm glad you gave me a heads up on this post. It's wonderful!!! That was some vacation!!!!! I would just be in hog heaven to see all that history and drink all that good wine! You guys were brave to get on that barge, though. I'm a big chicken when it comes to stuff like that! :-) It would be fun to get off and tour around and to help with the lock, though. The views were wonderful, too!!! I didn't know you were an ovarian cancer survivor. Wow...I'm so happy you beat that devil! Your hair looked really great with it short like that. It DID give you a decidedly French look! You're skinny, so you can get away with having short hair like that. I would look really, really weird! :-) Thanks again for the heads up!

Wow, the trip of a lifetime! And the most beautiful pictures! It must have been an amazing adventure!I love your hair short! I'm so glad to hear you beat the cancer. And praying it stays beat!!Debbie :)

Linda, I am so glad you shared this post. First, I am so happy to see you are doing great after chemo. I would never guess. You always look fit and beautiful. You do look French with the sassy haircut. Lovely photos, thanks for reposting, and I am so happy you beat it. xo

Linda's husband - Yes it was the trip of a life time. We picked Sept. for the weather and weren't disappointed. There are a lot of barge trip companies, ours was a smaller family run barge. Our captain was also a great cook and we thought we would take some meals out but after a few meals with her cooking we didn't leave the boat for meals. Breakfast was light but lunch and dinner were mult-course meals with plenty of wine lasting hours. I think I remeber it being $3,000 per person which included your room, meals, side trips and of course all the wine you could drink.

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog! I am your newest follower, and I am so glad! Your blog is beautiful, and I loved your pictures. I want to go to Paris one of these days! Looking forward to getting to know you! :) HUGS

Hi Linda!I love these pictures of your trip in France! What a lovely thing to do!You look so chick with your hair short! It's not bad on you at all! You look pretty darn good to for someone who went through chemo not long before! That champagne cellar looks like a hot spot! So glad you are okay and had a chance to enjoy such a beautiful country!

Linda, I'm so glad you stopped by HFTS today and left a comment. It has brought me to your blog. We love traveling in France, but have never taken a barge trip. I think it looks like a lot of fun. We did visit Burgundy this past fall. Thanks for sharing your trip. I think your hair looks fabulous! Wonderful news that you beat the cancer!!! Bravo!

Your barge trip in France looks like so much fun...getting to know a real French couple and getting to interact with the lock operators... another French adventure to add to my list of things to do...thank you for sharing your adventure.

Hi dear Linda, thank you for taking me along to your dreamy vacation to France! You look adorable and very Frenchy with your short hair. Our youngest son and DIL are just on their way home from France and Italy. I'm still praying for your continued health. xo

LInda, I'm back for your repost. Thanks for sharing this amazing experience again. I'm just sad to hear you say that you are once again fighting the C. I will keep you in my prayers. I said it before, but will say it again... you look fabulous! ~ Sarah

Bonjour Linda. So glad you visited my blog today (thanks to our friend Anita!) - I have just arrived here and loved, loved, loved following you on the great barge trip in Burgundy. You look very good on the pictures, and the short hair is, indeed très stylish. You look good with the pixie cut. Not everyone does. I am sorry to hear your cancer is back, but I read your update, and it sounds as if this is not entirely bad news since the surgery is now behind you. Stay brave, Linda. I will be back to check on you, since I am your newest Follower. Veronique (French Girl in Seattle)

So lovely to discover your blog and meet you - I am your newest follower back.Your trip around France looks wonderful and I enjoyed seeing your great photos. You look fabulous with your short hair.My thoughts and prayers are with youhugsCarolyn

Thank you for joining us, and I am so glad that you had this lovely post all set up. Enjoy the trip, and I see my darling friends are SO KIND to come to welcome into the party. You are gorgeous, and I hope you are enjoying the fun. BE WELL and I'll be back! Anita

Linda, I can't thank you enough for this lovely post! I've always wanted to take a barge trip! I felt as though I was right there with you. Marvelous photos. And I loved your short hair in the photos!I'm so sorry about what you've been going through...one of my best friends was just diagnosed with ovarian cancer and is about to begin chemo next week. You have my thoughts and prayers for you good health.And I am a follower as of now!Barbara

Looks like you had a lovely time. What gorgeous scenery and delightful barge. AND...I LOVE your hair in the photo where you asked what we thought of it. I wear mine quite short usually and it looks the best on me and as you said, it's so easy to take care of. ♥

Linda,When Anita told me you were joining the link party, I said to myself, "Yes, that's my girl, Linda!" These pictures are gorgeous, and I enjoyed browsing through them very much. Notre Dame is so beautiful. Nel and Jess went there, and it was one of their favorite places. Don't you just love the old churches? There is so much history with them. I am going to take a second look at your pictures. You look fabulous, and I'm so glad you joined us this year. It's nice to see a familiar face.Love,~Sheri

Hello girlfriend! What an amazing trip you had...looking hot and sexy in your shorts and short hair that you wore so well! Glad to hear that you won't have to go through the hair loss ordeal, again....just hope that you will get through this next hurdle quickly and with as much discomfort as possible. I miss you and will be waiting for more updates!Hugs,Janet/JP

Linda ... so lovely to meet you and you look amazing! I think you look like a young Brigette Nielsen (actress). I love your post and a holiday on a barge meandering through France sounds perfect! LOVE the champagne picture! Your legs go on forever!!! Great post and I would love a glass of champagne please and all my best wishes for the road ahead! xx Frances

How wonderful to travel down one of the canals with your through Anita's Link party. It looks an fantastic holiday with wonderful views as you travelled along. I am sorry you are having another battle with cancer after all this time and wishing you healing thoughts.Sarah x

So wonderful to meet you and enjoy your real trip to France.I just might keep your trip to copy parts for My someday real trip.Thank you for visiting Me and following Me.Yes,I will follow you gladly :).....and prayers if you like, your way for complete recovery from your battle.Hugs your way Denise

What a marvelous trip. I know that your return bout with cancer will be short and handily won. It looks like you have a great spirit and life partner to get you through. Lovely to meet you thanks to Anita. I look forward to seeing your next trip to celebrate your victory over the evil disease.

Didn't know if you still will get a notification of a comment a long time after the post but here I am.

Thank you so much for the link to your Barge Trip in Burgundy. I loved all the pictures of the barge, abbeys, wine caves, and Paris. I never get enough of travel posts. So nice you had your own chef. I can tell it was a wonderful trip. There is so much to see you can't see it all. I could do a long post each week on our trip but I think I am beginning to bore people.I liked your hair short. I admire your courage and strength. Blessings to you. Bonnie

What a beautiful trip! Ironically, my friend just posted on facebook yesterday how she visited the Rodin museum in Philadelphia. It is supposed to be a large collection. It looks like you visited some amazing sights. I am sure it was a trip to remember. Hoping you are in good health now. Thanks for linking up to the October Take Me Away Party!Shelley

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